Power Rangers Chronic Storm 3: The Reign Of Madness
by The Disney Brain
Summary: Peace never lasts. The Rangers now face a battle through time itself to stop the nefarious Doctor Madman from destroying every Ranger in existence. Why is he doing this? Just for fun, really. It's kind of his thing.
1. Return

**Chapter 17: Return**

The year is 2991. Most of the Chronic Storm Power Rangers had come back from the past months ago after having defeated the former monarch, Queen Diane. They also managed to resolve their disputes with General Axis, hopefully. What might well have been months of unrest, confusion, and fear was quelled before it ever began, thanks in large part to the behind the scenes work of Prime Minister Zahab.

The efficient transition process still brought with it it's fair share of local factions. But Time Force was able to more than deal with the outbreak, arresting those who took their steadfast support for the late monarchy beyond the bounds of law. A couple mutants were among those apprehended. All such cases went straight to Captain Logan, but each time one was presented to him, he sighed in disappointment and shook his head. The mutant he was after had yet to reveal himself.

During these transitional months, Prime Minister Zahab was elected as interim president until a formal election could be held later on. The remaining three Chronic Storm Rangers and Time Force were invited to assist Earth's new President in the development of a new government, alongside many of the universe's most powerful and influential leaders. After much deliberation, the leaders agreed to a system of self-governed planets and star systems that had the agency to develop their own unique relationships amongst its planetary peers. Earth and other universe leaders would work together to uphold this new peace through appointed Quadrant Representatives who would all meet up on behalf of the known universe. This new democratic union was to be called the United Universe Council; a mutual agreement similar to Earth's own United Nations of eons ago.

Democracy ruled the day as the people of Earth voted in droves to support the passing of a universal bill that would uphold the self-governed system. Those same people voted in droves to support President Zahab's move into full time President as well. No longer would Earth hold the position of micro-manager of the universe in a scramble for further levels of power.

Once all was settled, it was finally time for the remaining members of Chronic Storm to take their leave of this time and return to their own. Even Professor Knox had decided to take some time off from his work. All the while, Time Force was busy developing five Chrono Morphers to ensure that this new age of peace could be preserved domestically. Four were still in development, but the Red Chrono morpher was finally built, tested, and perfected. And soon after, to no one's great surprise, Alex was chosen to become Time Force's first ever Power Ranger.

To celebrate the honor, a ceremony was held. It was a cozy gathering, mostly Time Force officers and a handful of local civilians in attendance. Captain Logan took to a silver podium sporting a brand new, dark grey uniform. He cleared his throat as the audience settled down, "It brings me great honor and even greater pride to present one of the finest young men I've ever had the privilege to know."

Alex walked onto the stage to roaring applause.

Logan then opened a black box to reveal the Red Chrono morpher. He half smiled while carefully taking the device into his hand. "This morpher represents the next step in law enforcement. This morpher represents our success at tapping into the power of the Morphing Grid after so many failures."

Logan then looked to Alex and continued, "Do you swear to properly represent the strength and the leadership necessary to hold such power and use it in the service of justice?"

"I swear." stated Alex.

"Then, may the power protect you, always." Logan handed Alex the morpher.

Alex nodded and strapped in on his wrist. His confirmation of Ranger status was met with more applause and glee from the mass of onlookers. Alex almost let a smile sneak through that signature stoic demeanor.

After the ceremony ended, Alex met up with Carter, Ethan, and Taylor.

"Congratulations on officially becoming a Power Ranger." said Carter.

"Yeah, you really earned it." added Taylor.

Alex nodded. "All of you set an incredibly high bar. I will ensure that the Time Force Rangers give everything they have to matching Chronic Storm's example."

"Well, it's been one exciting ride," Ethan added. "But it'll be nice to see good ol' 2005 again."

"Unfortunately, time travel capabilities are currently limited," Alex stated. "Energy is scarce right now without the kingdom and we'll need to preserve what we can. Especially with Captain Logan's most recent report."

"Don't even mention it," replied Carter. "I've spent years here waiting for the day I could finally return. A few more can't kill me, right?"

Taylor wore a more concerned expression. "Hold on, what recent report?"

"A steady rise in mutant-related incidents. Captain Logan has been anticipating this trend for some time. It's nothing critical yet, but it might not stay that way. However, there is one destination I've gotten approved. Consider it a reprieve after months of monotonous meetings."

"Destination?" asked Ethan. "Where to?"

Alex motioned the others to follow him. They arrived inside Time Force HQ's central command where Alex uploaded what looked to be a white colored letter with a rather fancy font. Upon reading the full letter, the other's all collectively widened their eyes.

"This is for real?" asked Carter with a wide smile.

Alex nodded. "It is."

"Can we leave right away?" asked Ethan.

Just as soon, Professor Knox was jogging into the room. "That's the plan!"

"Heh," Taylor shook her head with a smile. "They didn't waste much time, did they?"

"Hard to say," replied Ethan. "Time seems more and more relative these days."

"We have a time ship waiting for us just outside." stated Alex.

The five took their leave and entered the yellow time ship. After a quick hit to the back of the ship cirtusy of the Transwarp Megazord, they were all launched into the brightly colored time vortex in front of them and transported back to the past.

Meanwhile, down in Time Force's research lab, Doctor Madman was busy working on the other four morphers, with an odd looking sixth in development as well. Rather, t had more in common with an open metallic box than the more traditional wrist-based morphers. Captain Logan went in to check on progress and noticed this oddly shaped box.

"Doctor, what exactly is this?" Logan picked up the odd metal box and took a peek inside the dark, seemingly hollow insides. "Some kind of… Quantum Morpher?"

Madman cackled while not turning away from his work station. "Haha! If you think that's impressive, just wait until you see the big guy!"

"The big guy?" asked Logan concernedly.

"Just a pet project, hehe. Don't you worry, those Time Flyers are developing on schedule. Of the two, their construction is much more straightforward than that of the more fine tuned morphers. For whatever reason, Morphing Grid integration is slightly different depending on color. Ha, who knew that of all things made a difference?"

"That's excellent news, Doctor. But try and keep these… 'pets', to a minimum. Things are quiet now, but we all know that it'll never last."

"Of course, of course! Captain, you worry too much. Have you ever considered a vacation?"

Logan expression was unchanged. "Didn't take time off when my first son was born, don't plan on doing it now. Back to work, Doctor."

Logan left the lab while Madman snickered a bit before returning to his work. Even for as brilliant as the mad doctor was, he found himself mostly on his own in his pursuit of Time Force's goals. As it were, his off kilter nature had driven most other Time Force researchers far away from him.

On the Mirinoi of the distant past, the year was 2001. About a year had gone by in this time since the temporal events that lead to the defeat of Queen Diane. And when it was all said and done, Jason decided to stay in the past, choosing Kendrix over his previous home. Ever since that major decision, much has happened on Mirinoi. Leo's brother Mike, the former Magna Defender, was officially appointed as Commander Stanton's successor when he eventually retires from his post. Kai had taken full notice of Jason's hard choice and managed to clear things up with Maya. They've been taking things steady ever since. And all the while, there were only a handful of minor disturbances on Mirinoi that required Ranger-level attention. All such situations were quickly sorted out by Jason and the Galaxy Rangers.

A year into his new life, Jason fought more battles internally than anything else, as he slowly tried to cope with how quickly his world had shifted. The dread would sneak up on him, during the day, during the night, during a casual conversation or during his work with the GSA. But with Kendrix as an ever present source of comfort, Jason fought through his demons.

But in truth, he longed for an external battle, a real fight. Kendrix was no longer joining the other Galaxy Rangers on their minor missions. A few months after Jason had decided to stay, she decided to officially retire from her Ranger life, leaving Karone as Galaxy Pink for any future threats. The two were happy together, secure together, content with their life, but as the months waned, giving way to long stretches void of Ranger activity, Kendrix could tell that Jason wasn't fully present. She could sense the part of him that didn't just want his life in danger, but in a way, needed it. Jason had been surrounded by safety for all of his formative years. He was sick of it.

Recently, Jason was overcoming a slight fever and couldn't join the Galaxy Rangers on their most recent mission that took them west of Terra Venture. He was disappointed, but mostly shocked by his incurring of an illness rendered foreign by the modern medicine he was used to. His body was speaking to him again, just as it did the first time he traveled to Mirinoi.

A few hours passed which saw the return of the Galaxy Rangers from their most recent expedition. The team was laughing and smiling and exchanging jokes. Suffice to say, it must have been a job well done. Kendrix and Jason were there to greet them while Jason wore a wide-eyed expression on his face, an expression that was dying to know the details.

"You see? We were only gone for an hour or two," Leo said. "Trust me Jason, you didn't miss anything."

"Good to know." replied Kendrix.

Jason nodded, but wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Leo's report. "I figured you guys could handle it, but… I guess I just miss being out there, in the field. Don't get me wrong, I would prefer Mirinoi stay safe. But after the time I spent being a Ranger, it's been hard this past year to transition into a different role."

"I know what you mean," Leo replied as he looked at the others. "Unlike these responsible adults over here, being a Ranger was my only real job on Terra Venture."

"How about your time in command?" asked Kai with a smirk.

"Haha, oh yeah. Had to give it up though. My supervisor was no fun at all."

The others shared a light laugh at the expense of Kai, Leo's short lived supervisor.

Kai put Leo's comment behind him and walked up to Jason. "Speaking of, you've been doing a great job at command. If Mike doesn't watch out, Stanton could change his mind about his successor."

The others nodded in support of Kai's statement.

"Heh, thanks everyone." replied Jason.

Karone then gave Jason a sly look. "Besides, you've already got a much more important job lined up."

"Yeah, and what would that be?" asked Jason sarcastically.

"Keeping this one happy." Maya turned her gaze to Kendrix and the others followed suit.

"Still two more weeks, guys. You can all calm down now."

Jason held her hand. "Longest two weeks of my life."

Kendrix leaned her head on Jason's shoulder. "Mine too. We still have a few things to organize, so we'll catch up with you guys later."

Jason and Kendrix took their leave and headed towards their room. In truth, most of the details for their big day were already planned out. But Kendrix wanted them to double check the details, just in case. While they were walking, Jason expected Kendrix to run through her mental list inside of things to do outloud. She often did that in the mornings, even if she was just talking to herself, in order to orient herself for the day. But that pensive look was nowhere to be found. Sitting in its place was a more tired, uncertain expression.

"I know there's something troubling you," Jason said concernedly. "What's on your mind?"

"It's just that… when I was a little girl, I used to daydream about what this day would look like. The reality is even better than I could have ever thought up because I have you now, but… in all of my fantasies, my parents were always there… I just really wish they could have been here for this."

Jason nodded. "I understand how you feel."

"But I also feel selfish for even being sad about that because of everything that you've gone through and… I'm so sorry."

Jason quickly embraced her. "Please, don't be. Parents or not, I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with the woman of my dreams. But…"

Kendrix looked up at Jason who was now wearing a sly grin across his face. "But, what?"

"What if, hypothetically speaking, your parents did find a way to make it here from Earth?" Jason pointed towards two approaching people in the background.

Kendrix turned around and immediately felt a rush of emotion as the parents walked towards her, both with large smiles on their faces. It had been months since she was able to see them in person, but neither were too keen on spaceships, so it was always Kendrix visiting Earth.

Kendrix smiled back at Jason while tears were caught inside her eyelids. "How did you get them here?"

Jason let off a confident smirk. "Let's just say I took the Astro Megaship for a little joyride that few know about. After a few stressful hours of convincing and a little bit of begging, they were more than willing to face their fears and fly in a spaceship for the first time."

Kendrix kissed him before running over to greet her parents. Jason decided to hang back for a little to give the trio time to just be the Morgan's again. Kendrix was their only child, so they were always fairly protective of her. It always took a bit of fighting to get them to budge on anything they considered too dangerous, as with Kendrix' short lived camping trip. Before Jason made the trip to Earth to acquire them, he had only ever talked to them through a computer screen. It was a laggy connection as well, one of the many things Jason needed to adjust to after settling down in the past. Food not being able to cook itself was an even bigger hurdle to clear, but thankfully, Kendrix was an excellent cook.

Jason was a nervous wreck the first time he talked to Kendrix' father. Her mother seemed quicker to impress, despite her series of daunting, and in many cases very personal, questions. But Jason could sense a strange mixture of pride and sadness mixed in to Mr. Morgan's initial expressions, as if unsure how to handle how much of a grown up his little girl really was. He didn't take much, and he didn't talk loudly either, so it was hard for Jason to figure out if he was making progress. In time however, Jason managed to win him over as well. He even forced a smile out of him using a corny joke. Jason was left wishing he would have brought out the jokes much earlier.

While beginning to walk over to them, Jason wondered what it would be like, what it would feel like, to cherish someone as deeply as Mr. Morgan cherished his daughter.

Two weeks came and went quickly. Soon, it was the morning of. Jason found himself unable to fall asleep most of the night while Kendrix rested peacefully beside him. As he rose from their bed early in the morning, he looked back at the sleeping face of his bride to be. It brought him joy, it brought him worry.

Jason carefully left his room and took a walk around the nearly empty Terra Venture streets. The sunlight was just barely sneaking over the skyline while a chilly, brick breeze swept across. Jason eventually entered the large performance hall that was all set to be their wedding location. He stared at every inch of the room, illuminated only by the weak beams of rising sunlight peering through the windows. He took in the fitting green and pink color scheme decorating the chairs, the aisle, and the walls. Not exactly a traditional color arrangement by any means, but then again, this wasn't a traditional couple.

Jason reached for his wrist, but there was nothing there. Almost a year gone by since he decided to stay, and yet, not having his morpher strapped on still made his arm feel light, uncomfortably light.

Jason heard footsteps from just outside the empty performance hall. He turned around with a smirk, almost certain of who it would be.

Kai was up early too, as per usual, and found Jason sitting on his own. Kai sat next to him while taking in all the arrangements. "So, this is where your life ends, huh?"

"Hehe." Jason pointed to the altar gracing the center of the room. "We'll see who's laughing when you're the one up there."

"Haha, we'll see."

The pair stood in silence for a few moments while Jason continued to feel around his wrist.

"...Hey, Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"You still love being a Ranger, right?"

"I do…" Kai took another look at the altar. "But, if I ever end up being the one up there, I'd have no problem giving it up."

Jason turned to him, caught off guard by his straight forward answer. "No problem at all?"

"None. But I also don't like getting shot at."

Jason giggle at the comment while Kai looked back at him confused, as if to question where the humor was.

"Maybe I do… kind of twisted, huh?" asked Jason.

Kai nodded understandingly. "Well, better than enjoying getting shot. We'd have to have a serious talk about that one."

"Haha, when did you get so funny?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…"

Suddenly an alert rang out. It was divergent from the normal brand of Terra Ventures city-wide alert. This alert in particular was added specifically for temporal disturbances. After their battle a year ago, the city's brightest constructed specialized sensors using the data collected from Axis' jump through time.

Kai immediately stood up and contacted the others, fearing the worst.

"No need to get jumpy for this one," said Jason as he stood up himself. "They were invited."

"Invited?"

"I wasn't about to get married without my Ranger family fully present."

Kai breathed a sigh of relief as the pair ran outside at the break of dawn to witness a yellow Time Ship landing on the Mirinoian surface just outside Terra Venture. Tree and leaves were forced to shake and sway as the ship descended. Kai and Jason were soon joined by the other Galaxy Rangers as Carter, Taylor, Ethan, Alex, and Professor Knox disembarked from the ship.

"We heard there was a wedding happening today," Carter said with a grin. "Were you guys invited too?"

Jason chuckled a little while he approached Carter. "Nah, I figured I'd just crash instead. More exciting that way, ya know?"

"That's too bad," Taylor added. "I heard Carter's got an amazing present for the groom to be."

"Hmm, now that changes things." Jason looked back to Kendrix. "Hey Kendrix, wanna get married?"

Kendrix laughed while hugging Carter. "Sure, why not?"

The day time was filled with laughter and smiles as friends from throughout time gathered to celebrate Jason and Kendrix' union. The planning was done. The preparation was done. Only one thing remained.

Inside the groom's room, Jason was inspecting his tight black suit in the mirror. His life was about to change forever, or so he assumed. Oddly enough, Jason realized that he would be the first of his close friends to get married. Kai was suiting up right next to him, making sure to check his pocket every 5 seconds exactly to ensure that the ring was still there. Ironically enough, the man who once questioned the idea of Jason and Kendrix being together ended up being the best man at their wedding.

"Alright, good, still there." Kai carefully inspected the diamond covered ring before carefully placing it back in his suit pocket.

"Just don't drop it when you pull it out for real."

Kai's eyes widened. "I knew there was something I forgot to prepare for." He then started to practice the form he would use to remove the ring from his pocket.

"I was kidding, Kai. It'll be fine. Why does it feel like you're the one getting cold feet?"

Kai took a deep breath and nodded. "You sure do know how to wear a suit, Jason."

"Really? I don't know." Jason buttoned the highest suit button and observed himself again. "I feel like my shoulders are kind of wide for suits."

"Don't be ridiculous, you look great." Kai lightly adjusted Jason's tie. "Besides, everyone is just going to be looking at the bride to be."

"As they should… Thanks Kai, for everything."

Kai smiled. "Everything hasn't happened yet. One step at a time."

Kai left the room to take his place in the ceremony as Jason looked at himself in the mirror one last time. He could feel his heart rate begin to pick up, as if his body had finally realized just how significant the moment was. Jason looked down at his hands, noticing that they had naturally turned themselves into fists upon sensing the quickened heart.

Before Jason could think upon this, there was a knock on the door and Carter entered. He looked at Jason and up down, impressed with his suit. "Would you look at you. You've come a long way since I first met you."

"Carter, thanks… I was thinking, just this morning, about… well, everything. I randomly picked up a device no bigger than my palm and before I know it, all of this."

"There was nothing random about it. Despite the circumstances, you created your own destiny, your own future… heh, or past."

Jason chuckled. But his laughter was cut off but a troubling thought. "I'm guessing everyone will go back home for real once the reception ends… Is this is really the end of Chronic Storm?"

"Yes, but also, no." replied Carter.

Jason turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"There will always be threats to our universe, regardless of time period or dimension. Some we can predict and plan for, some we can't. But the Power Rangers will always be there to defend the people put in harm's way."

Carter then unveiled a metal case from behind him and handed it to Jason. Jason took it from him, but was caught off guard by how heavy it felt.

"Wedding present?" asked Jason.

"Something like that."

Jason opened the case. His eyes glistened as he witnessed the five Chronic Storm morphers lined up neatly in a row. He looked back up at Carter with mouth firmly agape. "Carter… I don't understand."

"I loved being a part of Chronic Storm, even when I couldn't defend everyone who proudly wore those morphers before you. That part of my life is over now, but that doesn't mean Chronic Storm should have to end with me."

Jason stood stunned, his lips quivering as his mind raced to process Carter's words. He could barely utter a coherent word, let alone a complete sentence. "Y-You… want m-me… to lead Chronic Storm!?"

Carter nodded. "In a way, Chronic Storm was as much your creation as anyone's. I believe it's your destiny to carry the torch forward. If that means enjoying the married life and never having to fight again, that would be great. But, if it means needing to step up and defeat the next great foe, I'm trusting you to be able to handle it."

Jason's gaze was fixed upon the Red morpher, the shiny shimmering symbol of Ranger leadership. He faintly recalled Carter joking about this exact possibility. Maybe it was never a joke at all. Jason re-focused himself and cleared his throat, "Carter… you can count on me!"

"I knew I could." Carter patted Jason on the shoulder before heading out the door. "See you out there."

After Carter left the room, Jason carefully placed the case down on the ground. He continued to observe the Red morpher before slowly reaching it and picking it up. It looked the same in nearly every respect as all the others, including his old green morpher tucked away on the far right side of the case. And yet, this morpher seemed a great deal heavier. Jason took a deep breath before he carefully slipped the Red morpher back into its center spot and locked up the case.

Friends, family, and allies alike gathered into the large hall where the ceremony was about to commence. The organs began playing and everyone in attendance rose to their feet and turned their gaze to the back of the room. Kendrix entered the scene holding onto her father's arm and looking as radiant as ever.

A white dress designed with laces up and down the arms. Everyone looked on with wide smiles. But not a single soul was filled with greater awe than the man the stood at the aisle's end, patiently waiting for his wife to be to join him. Kendrix gently kissed her father's cheek before he sat back down next to Mrs. Morgan. And then, Jason took her hands into his as he basked in the purest smile he's ever known. Every morning the sun would rise, but the woman before him would always be the brightest thing in the room.

As they stared into each other's eyes for the last time as just individuals. They were both ready to become something more. They kept their vows short, knowing even a novel could never encapsulate everything the other meant to them. Then, the "I dos" were exchanged without event a moments hesitation. Kai was already fully prepared with ring in hand the second the words left Jason's mouth. Jason carefully slipped the ring on Kendrix' finger before bringing her close to him and solidifying their marriage with a kiss.

With the ceremony complete, along came the outdoor reception held near Maya's home village. The locals around said village usually weren't supportive of organized, large scale events. An exception was made given Kendrix' former status as a chosen wielder of the Quasar Saber.

The event proved to be a festive one with dancing, conversing, and eating all around. Jason was enjoying a nice sit down after being on his feet all day. He wondered if he could get away with ditching his fancy clothes at this point. The thought washed away as he observed Kendrix sharing a dance with her father. The pair even sung along to the song that was playing. Jason only faintly recognized the song as something Kendrix had hummed once while cooking.

Then Leo walked over to him and sat down. "Hey, congrats man!"

"Thanks, Leo. Now, when will it be your turn?"

"Haha, good one. Not really thinking about all that yet."

"Maybe so…" Jason looked over to where Karone was talking with Maya. "But how do you know she's not?"

Leo's smile was replaced by a more pensive, concerned look. "Huh… I guess you have a point."

"Hope you learned how to dance."

They shared a laugh before Leo went over to ask Karone for that dance, of which she graciously accepted. Neither of them were well-versed on the matter, but they had fun with it anyways, moving about at their own face while laughing at each other's decided lack of rhythm.

Just as soon, Jason heard a peculiar pattering sound near the tree just behind him. He immediately picked himself up and carefully approached the trees with shifting, vigilant eyes, praying for just one night where trouble didn't have to muck up a perfect day. He walked through the trees and found himself staring at the closer of Mirinoi's two moons draped against the backdrop of the night. Staring upon the sight wasn't trouble per say, but fairly close: an unexpected visit from General Axis.

Jason lightly giggled to himself and stood next to Axis, both taking in the sight of the large, luminous moon. "Didn't know we were hosting rulers. How nice of you to at least crash the reception."

"Hmph, all of this holy matrimony is making me ill. But still, good for you, now that you have everything you've ever wanted."

"That's… nice of you… But I'm guessing you didn't travel all this way through time just to wish me well?"

Axis then turned to face Jason. "You do recall my last words, do you not?"

Jason scratched his chin while he thought back to a year ago. "Uhh… something about being tied…?"

Axis smirked while he clenched his fists. "One final match. No politics, no royalty, no secret plans, just pride. But, seeing as how this is your wedding day, I'll be waiting here, in this time, until you are ready."

"That's sporting of you. I'd rather not keep such a busy man waiting though, so we'll do it tomorrow. How about sunrise?" Jason smiled smugly at Axis. "Is that dramatic enough for you?"

"Your casual attitude is ill suited for combat." Axis turned around and started walking through the forest. "Sunrise it is, but you'd better bring everything you've got."

Jason could feel his heart kick up a few paces while his grin stretched ear to ear. Not exactly what he was hoping for, but at last, a real fight. A chance to test out the mysterious aura power he had been training to master, despite still being unaware of its true nature or origins. He could strap on that Red morpher and become a Power Ranger once more, if only for one more fight; one more wedding gift before he would force himself to put it all behind him for her.

Jason returned to the reception in a brighter mood. Kendrix finally found him and pulled him by the arm over to the dance floor. Once there, they wrapped their hands around each other while the wedding band proceeded to play one of Kendrix' favorite songs; "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles, a classic even by the standards of 2001. Over the course of Jason's integration into this time, Kendrix taught him all about her musical interests. Jason eventually caught on that The Beatles were probably her favorite band. He then kept digging into the musical group and discovered the very song playing in the background now. It had an odd, soothing, almost healing property about it. Thinking through the lyrics while the gentle guitar riffs washed over him, it was just the song he needed during those early Terra Venture days. On the evening Jason proposed, he got a band to play this very Beatles song before he bent the knee. As he flashed the bright, shimmering diamond ring, it felt as if a long, cold, lonely winter had passed by; the ice slowly melting. Everything was alright now.

More pairs of dancers eventually joined the couple on the dance floor as the song faded out, giving way to another that Jason was less familiar with. During the transition, Jason noticed Kendrix' sly smile. He could already tell what it meant.

"That was nice of Axis," she said, "coming to our reception and not trying to destroy anything."

Jason could only smirk at Kendrix' exectadly quick read of the situation.

"You don't seem worried, so I won't try to stop you or get in the way. I'm thinking that it's just something you have two have to do. Just promise that you'll beat him good."

Jason smiled and nodded. "That's a promise."

"I'm serious. Don't lose, or I'll leave you." replied Kendrix with a smile.

"Great, more pressure…"

The night came and went. Once the festivities were over, the Rangers and friends out of time said their goodbyes. But none present felt distraught. Ethan pointed out that with time travel in their pockets, meeting up again would be no different than hopping on a plane to anywhere else. All felt assured that they would meet again, perhaps whenever another Ranger decides to tie the knot. But for now, Carter, Ethan, and Taylor could all finally return to their true homes.

The late night gave way to the early morning sunrise. Jason opened his eyes and rose from his bed. He walked over to the closet and found the Green and Pink Chronic Storm uniforms tucked neatly away inside. He put his uniform on before kneeling down and uncovering the morpher case. He opened up the case and stared inside, gazing upon the Red morpher, thinking about the pride with which Carter handed him this responsibility. He began to lift the up the Red morpher from its cushiony placeholder, but then his eyes darted back towards his old Green morpher at the far right. He looked back and forth between both while his arm was frozen in place, unable to will himself to pick up the Red.

Kendrix was starting to wake up as well.

Jason was startled a bit by her sudden rustling about their bed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Kendrix pulled Jason in close and kissed him on the cheek before plopping back onto the bed. "Just keep the lights off when you come back."

Jason smiled and looked back at the case. His fingers were still gently pressed against the Red morpher. A few silent moments of contemplation. Jason pushed the Red morpher back into the case, acquired his Green morpher, and latched it back on his wrist. He shook his arm around with a gentle smile. It hadn't felt this balanced in a long while.

Then, he approached the south side of Terra Venture where Axis was standing, waiting, impatiently tapping his foot, but ceasing the second Jason was visible.

"So, the time has finally arrived." Axis' electricity already began to spark and crackle from his hand. His stare was one of focus.

"That's right. It's time to put this rivalry to bed."

"It's been a good ride," Axis started walking towards Jason. "But this is where you fall, Green Ranger."

Jason kept walking towards him. "Just so we're clear, you don't mean fall for good, right?"

"Heh, I suppose we'll find out."

"Heh, fair enough. Chronic Storm, Ranger form!" Jason morphed into the Green Chronic Storm Ranger and charged up his aura. He looked all around and basked in the sight of his green and black suit. "Ah, it's good to be Green."

The two went from walking to charging straight at each other. Both cocked back their fists and launched powerful punches to open up their fight. Their fists collided, creating a brilliant display of white and green light that pulsated through the air. Jason could see the difference instantly. Axis' trademark smirk was no smirk at all. As they both reeled back from the force of their punches, Jason began to laugh heartily with Axis soon following.


	2. Siege

**Chapter 24: Siege**

In the future, stability and order had finally been established on Earth. The United Universe Council established in the wake of the monarchy created a nine year harmony that seemed untaintable, incorruptible. That is, until the year 3000. It was then when a mutant crime lord known only as Ransik rose to prominence, assembling other like minded mutants to his cause, and earning himself the top spot on Time Force's blacklist. Alex and his team of four other elite Time Force officers had been tasked with capturing the rouge mutants, all leading up to the big guy himself. And on one cold, late night, they succeeded. Alex fought against and captured Ransik. He was successfully sentenced and on his way to prison. And wouldn't you know it? Alex even planned on getting married to a fellow Time Force officer and teammate, Jen Scotts.

However, things quickly changed when Ransik escaped containment and traveled back in time, incapacitating Alex along the way. The most he could do with what he thought was the last of his life was pass on his morpher to Jen, hoping that her and the remaining three Time Force officers could follow Ransik back, and bring him back to justice. As Jen's teary face was draped over his body, Alex felt his entire body giving up and his mind going blank.

But then, Alex' sense started to slowly return to him. He was picking up on all manner of sounds while his eyes reeled back upon meeting the bright lights just above him. He couldn't move, nor did he know exactly where he was.

Captain Logan was looking on fearfully at the bloodied and scarred body of Alex resting atop a white bed. A Time Force doctor observed while a team of surgeons continued to mend his deep wounds. His back took the largest blow, but they managed to reconstruct it and restore his spinal column. All that remained was healing the rest of his broken bones.

"What's his status, Doctor?" asked Logan.

The doctor pulled out a tablet and perused through Alex's updated medical records. "Our most recent readings look positive. I'll be frank, sir. He should have died out there. But he's actually starting to wake up. It'll take a few days before he's recovered enough to be field ready, but he'll make it."

Logan shook his head as his gaze drifted to the floor. "Ransik… we prepared for this, for him, but we still underestimated his allies… I should have been on that transport myself."

Logan left the scene while his mind raced to catch up with the current state of affairs. He returned to central command and established communications with Jen. Jen and what remained of Alex' team was now tasked with tracking down and stopping Ransik, who had travelled to the year 2001. The team took the last Time Ship with them, but it exploded shortly after landing. Logan and his temporally displaced officers knew that help could not come directly. It was high time to ensure that the Time Flyers were ready to assist the cause.

After Logan finished updating Jen and the team, an officer with short blonde hair approached Logan somewhat nervously.

Logan turned to him and then faced his screen again. "Something on your mind, son?"

"Oh, r-right, of course… Captain Logan, sir. Permission to speak freely?"

"Go right ahead, Cadet Ryan."

"Sir, we have to think about what happens now. The Rangers can't risk coming back until Ransik is defeated and who knows how long that will take."

"I couldn't agree more, cadet. These clean streets will no doubt find a way to dirty themselves again. We'll need a proven team, one capable of helping us defend the here and now… And I know just the one. Cadet Ryan, assemble your squad and head to the old kingdom grounds immediately."

Ryan quickled saluted the Captain. "Right away, sir." Ryan speed walked out of command while activating his wrist communicator.

Logan then walked down to the science division, a division that had required some significant space expansions over the years. From within, he looked upwards at five incredibly large spaceships. A sixth ship, much larger than the other five and coated in black, was also present in the back, but it looked unrefined in design. Clearly a work in progress.

Logan walked up to the furiously typing Madman who was gently humming to himself while his eyes darted up, down, and all around at the multitude of screens that surrounded him.

"How far along are we with our new line of robotic defenders, Doctor?" asked Logan.

"I'd say that we're pretty darn close, Captain! Riveting stuff, what I'm able to do with the resources here!"

"Settle down, Doctor Isaacs. The time has come for a true field test. The mutants that Cadet Jen's team will face have the ability to expand in size. When that happens, even the Chrono morphers won't be enough. We need to be able to respond in kind."

"Mmhmm…" Madman scratched his chin. "Why do they always grow again? And has that tactic ever worked?"

"Hell if I know." Logan then came across a strange robot encased in a blue tube. It looked like a white colored robotic skeleton, human-like in design. "Doctor, what exactly do we have here?"

"Oh, that? Haha, let's just call it a major power upgrade. I'm sure your colorful defenders will get a real kick out of it."

Logan turned back to Madman with an icy glare. "Keep your focus on the Time Flyers. It's been nine long years. We can't wait any longer. Field test, Doctor." Logan started to walk out of the room. "And try not to lose these Zords too. We can't afford another Q-Rex mishap."

Once Logan left, a relatively short scientist assisting Doctor Madman approached him. "Umm, Doctor Isaacs, where do these go?"

Madman pointed behind him without looking at the man. "Just over there, and I told you not to call me by that name!"

The scientist reeled back against the unnerving tone Madman was using. "I… I'm sorry… D-Doctor Madman…" He ducked his head and continued his work.

Madman chuckled as he pressed a button on his work station. He sat up and gazed upon the Time Flyers slowly powering up as exhaust was expelled from their thrusters. He created a picture frame with his fingers from which to view his creations come to life. "Soon, they will all have front seats to watch true genius, hehehe…! Hmm, I'll need to think of a better title than that though. Something dramatic… something with flair… Oh ho! I've got it, hehehe!"

Meanwhile, Ryan and his team of five other officers were excavating the ruins of the old kingdom grounds. After an hour of searching, they finally unearthed the time warp device used by the Chronic Storm Rangers on multiple occasions. The Time Force device couldn't support travel without a specialized Time Ship. But Professor Knox' smaller design had no such issue. Perfect for recruiting beyond the cosmos.

Ryan looked to one of his teammates, a lanky male with curly brown hair and a bit of a dead eyed look about him. "Connor, can you tell if it still works?"

Connor's eyes scanned the dusty, dirty device before messed around with a few levers and buttons. Eventually, got a reaction from the device. "Once we clear the cobwebs, we can make it functional again."

"Good." Ryan looked to another teammate, a moderately sized female with long, dark brown hair and very tan skin. "Michelle, tell the Captain that we've found the device and that we're on our way to get it repai—"

Ryan's orders were interrupted by Connor figuring out how to activate the time warp device, complete with its signature spiraling blue and white hue.

Another officer with medium cut silver hair came running in to see the commotion. "Whoa… intense."

Michelle immediately got in contact with Captain Logan. "Captain Logan, sir, Cadet Michelle reporting in! We found it, sir. I repeat, we've found it… Oh, and it works too. Probably could have led with that."

"Outstanding work," Logan replied. "Officers, your mission is clear: Go back in time to Mirinoi and find Jason Cahill. He's the current leader of the Chronic Storm Power Rangers. Explain all of this and do whatever it takes to get his assistance. Ideally, we won't need him or whoever's currently on his team for long."

"Understood, sir." responded Ryan.

"Ryan, the squad is all ready to depart." said Michelle.

Ryan looked to the others and nodded. "Alright everyone, we haven't a second to lose. Connor, load up the coordinates."

Connor nodded and inputted the temporal coordinates, reactivating the time warp. Ryan slowly approached the portal. He quickly realized how new this all was. Despite being a Time Force officer, he had never traveled through time himself. He took a deep breath before he took his first step inside the portal with his team following behind him.

Back in Mirinoi 2001, a month had passed since Jason and Kendrix got married. After Jason wrapped thing up with Axis, Kendrix and him both agreed to leave the Ranger life behind. But Jason made sure Kendrix at least held onto her old Pink Chronic Storm morpher, just in case there were any more monsters hiding beneath the bed. Over that month, there were no monsters under any beds. Jason and Kendrix clocked in at their stations in the morning, clocked out, and then talked about their days over dinner. Jason was slowly learning how to handle a few cooking responsibilities, very slowly. For the first few weeks, neither could think of a single complaint. Their lives were fulfilling and peaceful.

On one particular morning a week ago, Jason was walking to work, as he normally did. He'd usually see Kai walking in at around the same time. He'd usually receive a "good morning" from Commander Stanton exactly 5 minutes after he clocked in. As he was taking in the partly cloudy sky, he half grinned about the change up from the almost exclusively blue skyline that usually coated Mirinoi. His life was fulfilling, peaceful. He also couldn't tell one day from the last. So, on that particular morning, he did something he never told anyone about. He called in sick from work and spent the day in West Terra Venture with morpher on wrist. He sat atop a two story construct looking over the city vigilantly while he nervously scratched at his morpher.

He waited there for hours and hours, but a situation never arose that demanded his attention. He was ready to call it a wasted day when his morpher picked up a distressed sounding scream. "YESSS!... Wait, no bad situation. Okay okay, time to get to work."

Jason widely smiled and morphed up before following the noise. As he landed on the scene, his Ranger attire immediately stood out. He approached the source of the scream, but there was nothing but two friends present laughing at each other, one telling the other how badly he frightened her. A false alarm. Nothing more than a prank on an unsuspecting, and quite loud, civilian. Jason hung his head and walked away while the residents of West Terra Venture looked upon him strangely. They knew nothing of teams beyond the Galaxy Rangers, especially ones that doesn't exist yet. Jason could read it in their eyes. To them, he was just some odd cosplayer. His life was fulfilling… peaceful…

Today was a day like any other on Terra Venture. Jason rose from his bed and walked to work, as he normally would. But then, the temporal disruption alert sounded. Jason's ears perked up as the soothing blaring euphorically washed over him like a gentle piano melody. He quickly turned back around and raced for home. When he arrived, he hurriedly collected the silver case and brought out his morpher.

Just down the hall waiting up for him was Kai, who was prepared with his own Transmorpher.

"I can't believe there's finally a situation!" cried Jason, barely able to contain him unadulterated glee.

"I can't believe you're this excited about it."

"And you're not? Come on Kai, it's been months since we've done anything Ranger related."

As they ran down the hall, Kai gave off a slight smirk, nearly admitting it to himself. "Hey, let's just handle this, whatever this turns out to be."

The pair turned a corner to meet up with Leo, Maya, Damon, Karone, and Kendrix.

"Good to know that the temporal sensors still work," said Damon. "I didn't think we'd need them again though."

"Everyone ready?" asked Leo.

Jason speedily nodded. "Let's do this."

The team rushed towards the West Gate where the disturbance had been pinged. Nothing was immediately present.

Jason then used his morpher to scan for nearby life signs. His heads up display revealed picked up several just past the gate, using the trees as cover. "I'm picking up… five signatures, dead ahead."

The Rangers carefully made their way past the gate while keeping their eyes locked on the trees. Then, a rustling in the nearby bushes.

"Whoever you are, we don't want any trouble," stated Leo. "Surrender yourselves peacefully!"

"Wait!" Ryan slowly walked out of the bushes with both hands up. "We do come in peace."

Jason recognized the insignia on his uniform immediately. "Wait… you're Time Force, right? New uniforms, nice."

Ryan nodded and motioned the rest of his squad from out of hiding. "My name is Ryan and this is Time Force squadron B. We came here off direct orders from Captain Logan."

"Captain Logan?" asked Kendrix. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not. If we could come inside, I'll explain everything."

The Rangers were able to relax once it was clear that Ryan and his cohorts meant no harm. The Rangers found themselves an empty meeting room and Ryan started the explanation. He paused a bit before formally starting, trying to properly collect his thoughts and make sure they were the ones. Then, he began.

"We come from the year 3000, a year that saw Ransik, one of Earth's most fiendish criminals, escape into time."

Jason's eyes lit up as the name rung inside his ear. He hid his smile inside a serious, focused expression, but he could not deny that he wanted this to lead up to a fight against the big man himself.

"How did he escape?" asked Kai.

"And how'd he gets his hands on your tech?" added Damon.

Ryan continued, "A very highly organized break out was led by Frax and Nadira, accomplices of his we never knew about before they hit. They took out the transport and freed Ransik. Our Time Force Rangers followed him back to the year 2001, but they can't leave until he's beaten."

The tail end of his story created puzzled expressions around the room.

Jason nodded with a confident smirk. "I see where this is going. You've found yourselves in the year 2001, after all. So if Ransik is here, now, all we need to do is fly to Earth and help Time Force put him back into containment."

The excitement in his voice was palpable, and his enthusiasm was not lost on Kendrix, who looked more downtrodden than the others.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Ryan replied. "Ransik is in the year 2001, but… well… not the 2001 that we're all experiencing now. I'm sorry, I don't exactly have a temporal mechanics background, so I couldn't even begin to explain it. It's just what I was told."

Kendrix snapped back into focus and added on, "It's a multiverse. At least, in theory. Our year 2001 exists in a parallel dimension relative to the year 2001 that the Time Force Rangers and Ransik are in now."

"But if that's true, what can we do to help Time Force?" asked Karone.

Ryan continued, "Right now, the year 3000 is defenseless until Ransik is captured and our Rangers can return home. We're currently working on alternative means of defense, but they aren't ready yet. Our other enemies might be. If you could come back and help us fend off any potential attacks for a short amount of time, we would be in your debt."

Michelle then stepped forward. "Also, we were able to figure out a way to strengthen the Morphing Grid more permanently using Doc K's findings. Just don't ask me to explain it, ehehe… Anyways, all of you would be able to use your powers again, should you choose to go, and should you need it."

The room of Rangers all looked to each other with understanding expressions. Then, they all looked back to a nervous squad of Time Force officers.

"I think it's time to make some travel arrangements." said Jason.

"You already know that I'm in." replied Leo.

"Count me in too." added Karone.

"Me as well." added Maya.

"Can't let you guys have all the fun," Damon added, "it just wouldn't be right."

Ryan and his team all let off a collective sigh of relief that turned into smiles all around. "Alright then, my squad and I will get everything ready for the return trip. We'll depart in about an hour. Will that be enough time to organize?"

"More than enough," replied Jason. "We'll meet you back at the West Gate."

The Time Force squad and the Rangers began to clear the room to begin individual preparations for the quasi-mission ahead. It had the feeling of a bodyguard assignment versus a defined foe of which to best.

Jason was a little blue about not being able to fight Ransik, but his disappointment was put on hold when Kendrix walked up next to him. She had been noticeably quiet for the entire meeting.

"I know, I know," Jason began. "I should have talked to you first before I jumped head first into another mission."

Kendrix shook her head, but it lacked her usual playfulness. "I didn't realize you'd be this bored with our new life."

"Kendrix, it's not like that. I love you more than anything. It's just… how do I explain it?"

"I get it, being a Ranger matters a lot to you. It's how we met, how we fell in love… I just hope the day comes when we really can leave it all behind and start a new chapter. Not just pretend to be satisfied with normalcy."

Jason could feel the warmth dissipate from the hall as Kendrix continued to wear a look of disappointment. Kendrix was an understanding woman, but Jason knew there would only be so much she would take. It was clear to him that he could not hope to hold on to both her and his morpher so tightly, for one would surely slip through his fingers.

Jason stood in front of Kendrix' and pulled her waist closer to him. "Kendrix, I promise you this: be by my side for this one last mission, and I'll never look back again. I'll close the book on all of this. I'll lock away the morpher, use it only for emergencies, and never leave Terra Venture, and more importantly, you, to go on another escapade through time again, alright?"

Kendrix slowly started to return to wearing that bright, vibrant smile. And as if by the will of a higher power, the warmth of the room seemed to return with it. "Okay… I'm holding you to that."

The pair continued to walk in silence before Jason spoke again, "I want you to know that if you told me right now not to go, I'd stay."

Kendrix sighed a bit and held onto Jason's arm. "I believe you. But if I have to tell you to do the things I'd prefer you to do, it doesn't really mean as much."

Jason opened his mouth ever so slightly, but quickly realized he was short a retort. She's got me there. I don't think I'll ever be able to outsmart her.

Kai and Leo were walking and talking with medium sized bags draped over their backs, headed towards the West Gate. They soon joined Damon, Maya, and Karone, who were already at the gate prepared to leave.

"Finally!" Damon said. "We're gonna be late. And Jason and Kendrix haven't shown up yet."

"Let's give them a little time," Kai replied. "We all know that Kendrix isn't completely on board with Rangering up again, so there's bound to be a few things that they'll need to discuss before we leave."

The others nodded in agreement, all save Maya, who didn't look at all comfortable.

"Maybe… we should be talking them out of this," she said. "They're married after all."

"Heh, good luck getting Jason to stay." replied Kai.

"It's just a security detail," Karone added. "If we're lucky, it shouldn't be anything too dangerous."

Meanwhile, Jason and Kendrix were finishing up their packing and were leaving their room to meet with the others. They picked up their walking pace a little bit, figuring that everyone would be waiting on them at this point.

Kendrix still seemed a little uneasy before she finally spoke with a hint of uncertainty lingering inside her words. "Jason… I was hoping we could talk about something to start on… when we get back."

Jason noticed the somewhat stressed tenor of her voice and paid close attention. "Of course. What's on your mind?"

"Well… have you given any serious thought to possibly… starting a family? We talked a little bit about it before, but now that we're officially married…"

Jason stood in silence for a few seconds before responding, "It's actually something I've put quite a bit of thought into. Heh, more than most people, I'd think. And there's no one else in this universe, or any parallel ones, that I'd rather start a family with than you."

Kendrix let out a relieved smile before Jason quickly met her lips with a kiss.

"Did I mention that I love you?" asked Jason.

"I think you mean, love you both."

Jason stood frozen in thought for a hot second before Kendrix started rubbing her belly. Then, his heart rate spiked. "W-Wait… are you… is this… are we—"

"Going to be parents in about nine months? Yes!"

With misty eyes and a hazy mind, Jason lifted Kendrix up in the air and spun her around. "I never thought there would be a day as happy and joyous as the day I married you." Jason placed her down and gently rubbed her belly. "But now I'll get to experience that euphoria all over again when this little one is born."

"I think we should wait until after this mission to tell people. Just so everyone's focus is on one thing at a time."

"Couldn't agree more. To be honest, I was hoping for a more exciting mission, but I'm more glad now that it isn't. There's a lot more at risk now. But, if things do get rough, you have to promise me you won't push it."

"I promise."

Jason nodded. "Good… So… boy, girl…?"

"Don't know yet. But I do know you already have a few names you like for both."

"Haha, yeah. I don't know why I thought about stuff like that years ago, but I guess it's paying off now."

"I'm glad we were on the same page about Raymond as a potential boy name. I always loved the way it sounded. But, if we have a little girl, I'd like to name her after Grandma Madison."

Jason took a second to put a face to the name. "Oh yeah! She's the grandma that got you into science, right? And not the grandma that gave you a plant as a Christmas present."

Kendrix giggled. "You got it! The second is Grandma Betty. She always had more of a soft spot for my younger cousin than me, since they both really like dinosaurs. But I ended up experimenting on the plant, so it all worked out."

The pair shared a laugh as they continued to walk.

"So, Madison then?" asked Jason.

Kendrix smiled and nodded. "Madison."

Jason smiled and turned his gaze to Kendrix' stomach. "I love her already."

Suddenly, the temporal alert scanners starting blaring all about Terra Venture once again. Central Command was picking up a much larger temporal rift than the earlier reading also coming from the west. Damon ran over to a console to check on the status of the sensors.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Henderson?" implored Commander Stanton.

"Might still need a few adjustments. Our friends out of time are already here… Unless…"

Just as the more terrifying thought latched onto his mind, tremors could be felt all around Terra Venture.

"Commander Stanton!" one of the GSA crew members stated. "We have an incoming transmission!"

"On screen." ordered Stanton.

The transmission was put through and the central screen revealed none other than the mad Doctor himself. Except his back was facing the camera. "Is this thing on? Hello…?" Madman than turned around, realizing his mistake. "Oh, haha, forgot I moved it there for effect. Anyways, ahem." Madman continued in a colder, more sinister voice. "Good evening Terra Venture. Beautiful evening, isn't it?"

"Who are you?" asked Leo.

"Great question, really it is. But, I'm not gonna tell you, hehehe, I'm gonna show you."

A loud explosion could be heard and felt as one of Terra Venture's west wings was completely devastated. Everyone inside command swung their heads in every direction in alarm, trying to get a reading on the current chaos.

"Hmm, all quiet on the western front. My name is Doctor Madman, by the way. And now that I have your undivided attention, hehehe, we're going to have a bit of fun. Surrender the Galactazords to me by the top of the hour, or the next thing that goes bye-bye will be that nice little village near here. You know, the one with all those nice people and that weird stone with the swords in the middle."

Maya's eyes widened with worry.

Madman darted his eyes pensively, as if trying to find the rest of his words. "Uhhh… damn, I should have rehearsed this part again… Ah! Yes. And if you try some daring heroic rescue, I'll blow up your HQ…! Oh look, you have 5 minutes, game on!"

Jason and Kendrix arrived inside command as the transmission started to fade, just in time to receive the terrible update.

"We need to send personnel to that village immediately!" ordered Stanton.

"Sir, no," replied Jason. "This guy… he's not like other adversaries. He's unhinged, brilliant, and unpredictable. He may not even have a real reason for being here other than to string us around like puppets."

"There's no way he's getting his hands on the Galactabeasts!" exclaimed Leo.

The room grew silent as the others considered their options under the pressure of the quickly ticking clock. Only four minutes left until the top of the hour.

Karone sighed before speaking up, "This might be the only way to ensure the safety of Mirinoi. We can plan a rescue mission when those villagers aren't in danger."

"She's right," Damon added. "I don't wanna give up the Galactabeasts either, but we don't have a lot of good options right now."

Leo slowly nodded his head in agreement. "Alright… can we send our own transmission to him?"

Stanton then motioned his crew to re-establish contact. And from out of the black screen appeared Madman once again. "Huh? Well, that was fast."

"Madman… you win," Leo stated. "The Galactabeasts are yours, IF you swear to leave Mirinoi alone."

"Good to see you know how to make wise decisions! But, unfortunately, you sneaky Rangers have already gone rouge and went off script. Veeery unwise."

Everyone in HQ started exchanging worried and confused glances.

"You're wrong, Madman," said Stanton. "We didn't sent anyone to that village."

Madman slammed his fist on his chair. "Well, somebody sent Time Force. Efficient bastards too. The whole village is already cleared out and is headed to shelter here at Terra Venture, hehehe. I mean seriously, you people had one job."

Jason thought through the situation. "Time Force must have tried to protect them when they felt the disturbances. They were just doing their job!"

The on-screen view for every screen in Terra Venture now turned to a school. In was right in the middle of what looked to be a music class. Then, the screen was cut in half, showing Madman on one side and the school on the other.

"Fear not, Rangers. I took the liberty of adjusting the story accordingly. Now, picture this: a singular moment where the unhinged, brilliant, and unpredictable genius absolves himself of anything airing on the side of humanity."

"NO!" Maya cried. "You can't, those are innocent children! I beg of you."

"Please, Madman," added Stanton. "See it in your heart to stop all of this."

"Oh, what are you whining about?" Madman replied. "It's just a few less obnoxious mouths to feed. Trust me, hehe, I speak from experience. And you know what they say, write what you know."

"If it's us you really want, we're right here!" Jason cried. "Leave the rest of the colony and this planet out of it!"

"What? And risk my butt in a fist fight with you bruisers? Please… hope you like your youth fried!"

A massive wave of energy of green was fired upon the school, destroying everything inside a large ball of flames and smoke until both were all that remained. Madman zoomed in on one of the tiny charred bodies with mouth agape, likely screaming in its final moments. Madman couldn't help but smile at the horrific carnage he created. "Powerful, resonating, perfect! Now that's movie magic if I've ever seen it! Let's go in a little tighter on the fires over there… ahhh, very nice! I'm sure there's some kind of symbolism in there… somewhere."

The screen reverted back to just featuring Madman. "Now you see what happens when you try and break my rules, hehehe. Believe me when I say, you won't soon forget this torturous tale, and that was just scene 1!"

More than anything, his prideful smile and unbridled exuberance shone through, leaving the Rangers broke, and speechless. Commander Stanton cut off the transmission and quietly walked around looking at the astonished faces of his crew and then to the Rangers.

"Find this lunatic, and stop him," he said. "Do whatever you have to. That's an order."

The Rangers rushed out of command.

"Get every GSA soldier prepped and ready to provide backup. We'll need all the firepower we can muster for this one."

"Yes, sir!" the rest of the crew replied in unison.

As the Rangers made their way outside to try and track down Madman, panic had already hit the streets as civilians were all looking for shelter amidst the two massive explosions.

Then, Madman's voice started to sound over the Terra Venture PA systems. "Hoho, look at you little Rangers running around like ants. All your power and you don't even know where I am. But I'll help you out a bit. Look up, and witness my Zords!"

The Rangers turned their gaze to the skies which revealed seemingly from out of nowhere the five massive Time Flyers.

"It can't be!" Kai cried. "Madman built his own Zords?!"

"Those aren't his!" cried Jason. "He must have stolen them from Time Force."

Maya cupped her right ear and closed her eyes, trying to hear something in the far distance. "Guys, the Galactabeasts are too far away. If he attacks with those Zords now, we won't be able to stop him."

"Maybe so," Jason added. "But that's never stopped a Power Ranger from trying!"

Leo nodded. "Let's do it!"

"Chronic Storm, Ranger form!"

"Go, Galactic!"

The Rangers morphed into fighting form and stared down the five colossal machines that Madman had under his control.

Leo turned to Jason and Kendrix. "Jason, we can use the Lights of Orion to increase everyone's powers. It might just be enough to put a dent in one of those Zords."

"I'm with you." replied Jason.

"Lights of Orion, activate!"

A bright yellow light shone over head before fusing with all seven Rangers, imbuing with the legendary power and forming pieces of golder armor around their suits.

Kendrix unsheated her Chronic Blaster and realized it was also covered in the golden armor energy of the Lights.

Jason looked at his own souped up blaster and nodded. "Everyone, aim and fire on a single point, the lead ship."

The Rangers took aim and launched a full force blast upon Time Flyer 1. A flurry of smoke resulted, but when it cleared, the Zord appeared to have taken no damage.

"Well, that wasn't very nice," Madman replied. "It's a shame, really. I kind of like this city you have here. Nice people, nice tech, oddly colored felines. But, you know what they say about all good things…"

Madman push a button and his Zords started scattering all around the city, blasting every building in their sights.

"We have to split up and protect every person that we can!" exclaimed Leo. "Evacuate them through all the exits!"

The Rangers quickly scattered to assist the people Madman was putting in harm's way. The GSA soldiers had also made their way to the battlegrounds to assist in the evacuation, alongside Mike, Leo's brother and Commander Stanton's right hand man.

Madman cackled at the bevy of screen surrounding him as he watched the Rangers scurrying around attempting to save every life they could. "Hehehe, you can't run, but you can hide… wait, did I say that right? Oh well, fire everything! And then, let's end this particular scene with a bang!"

Madman's Zords continued to tear through the city with laser fire. Buildings or every size started to topple over and smash into each other. Kai was dangerously close to a building erupted into flames, scattering glass shards and metal parts into the sky like a sharpened hail storm.

"Everyone, evacuate calmly through all the exits!" cried Kai, trying to rally a panicked group of civilians.

Just as Kai led them out of harm's way, one of Madman's Zords stared Kai down. He turned around to face it and soon realized that he was in a coverless square with weapons locked on him. Kai pulled out his Quasar Saber and pointed it at the Zord. "Well… let's go then."

Kai charged the ship with blaster fire blazing. He fully powered up his Saber, which emitted a blue glow around the blade, and deflected the shots that came near him.

The ship continued to fire, barely missing him on a handful of occasions, but an indirect shot knocked Kai off balance and sent him flinging violently into a pole, forcing him to demorphe. All the while, Madman was glued and gripped to the screen that feature the scene. His grin wided. "He's an entertaining one… Ah! I know just the thing!"

Then, from out of the forests arose the Galactabeasts, charging into the city.

"The Galactabeasts!" cried Maya. "They're here!"

The Galactabeasts wasted little time in body-blocking the laser fire to allow the last few people to get out of harm's way. Mike was assisting in the evacuation of a group of civilians when the Lion Galactabeast stood in between him and one of Madman's Zords.

"Torozord, charge!" As if by instinct, Mike took to his wrist to call upon his own Zord, but there was nothing there. Mike quickly shook off the feeling and ran back into the city looking for others to help.

Madman watched on amusedly as the Galactabeasts tried to attack the Time Flyers. "Your silly playthings cannot match the might of MY Zords…" Just then, Madman was struck with inspiration. "Wait! Change of plans! I think all of these Zords would be a great thing to start collecting. Yes, a steady but engaging rising action. Ha, why didn't I think of this before?"

His Zords then started shooting strange metallic rings that latched themselves unto the Galactabeasts. After the rings snapped onto their necks, it started emitting a strange deep purple light. The Galactabeasts started gyrating uncontrollably until they all stood perfectly still.

"And now, your toys are mine to play with!" added Madman.

He pushed a series of buttons on his console and the Galactabeasts started joining in on the city attack, knocking the roofs clean off of buildings.

"No!" Kai said weakly while picking himself up. "This… can't be happening!"

Meanwhile, Damon was assisting an evacuation effort down south. All the civilians had made it out of the gate. "Guys, I've evacuated everyone nearest to the South Gate."

"Finally, some good news," Jason replied while staring down an incoming Zord with civilians right behind him. "We're going to need your help back here near the North Gate. Too many people are being pinned down by Time Flyer 5."

"I'll be there." Damon made his way north, but he was soon stopped by two of Madman's Zords and two Galactabeasts under his control.

Madman zoomed in on Damon with a smile. "It's time for the bang!"

Damon knew he was trapped, but his resolve did not shake. He held his head high and stood strong while he took out his Quasar Saber. "Guys… I'm sorry… I don't think I'm going to make it to the North Gate."

"Wait, what's going on back there?" Leo communicated. "Talk to us, Damon!"

Madman then gained control of all of Terra Venture's street level screens to show Damon being pinned down. "And for my next trick, I'll make the Green Galaxy Ranger vanish! Oh, but here's the kicker though, I can only do it once."

Damon stood strong and defended himself with his Quasar Saber while a flurry of blasts and beams starting flying in his direction. He braced himself for impact before crying out against the laser that cut through his suit and drowned him in a sea of smoke. The moments seemed to go by like hours as all eyes remained glued to the screens. Damon disappeared into a void of smoke and laser fire, and just as quickly, was gone.

Near the West Gate, Kendrix dropped to her knees in pure agony, praying that this was just a lucid fantasy that she could wake up from.

Maya picked her up and forced her back to her feet. "Kendrix, we need to keep moving… we need to."

Kendrix slowly nodded before following Maya out of the city. All the while, Maya was trying to connect to the heart of the Galactabeasts, but Madman's control devices were blocking her ability to communicate. All she could feel was a cold emptiness where life once was.

Madman was playing back the footage of Damon's death over and over again with sporting an agitated expression. After another rewind and another playback, he slammed his fist on his console. "No no NO! This will not do! This reeks of shock value! No, I need death to carry, for death to matter! We need a narrative here, hmmm…" Madman continued to think through the story before focusing his cameras on Leo. Then, his eyes began to glisten. "Inspiration!"

In the north, Mike was racing all over the city and eventually found Leo. "Leo!"

Leo turned to him. "Mike! You need to get out of here. You're not safe without your powers."

"I'm not leaving without you… not again."

Leo was struck with emotion upon recalling the memory, the time Mike decided to leave home for Terra Venture. It was an expedition Leo needed to stowaway on just to see his older brother again. "Mike…"

"No time. Let's move."

Mike started running forward, but unbeknownst to him was a building that was starting to collapse right on top of him.

"Mike! Look out!" Leo rushed over and pushed him out of the way. But then a stray flying piece of metal hit Leo right inside the chest, forcing him out of Ranger mode and leaving him bleeding on the floor. The building was still coming down. Leo looked up, knowing he couldn't avoid it.

"Leo!" Mike tried to get back on his feet and rush towards his little brother.

"No! Don't…!" Leo quickly acquired his Quasar Saber and threw it at Mike, who caught it by the handle. "Take… over for me… Love you… big bro—"

The building smashed upon Leo, throwing Mike back with a thud upon the hard floor beneath him.

The city was a warzone, and adding to the carnage was a platoons of robots released from the bottom of Madman's Zords. The silver and red robots mostly had very insectoid features, but a select few had more human-like features. They attacked and overwhelmed the remaining Rangers, capturing and restraining them as the lead Zord descended and Madman finally revealed himself.

He walked up to the battle damaged Rangers with a round of applause. "I got some exceptional shots on that last scene. Excellent performances all around, truly riveting stuff! But, I'm afraid our fun has to end. Now that these Zords have successfully completed their trial run, I can happily report back to the year 3000 with the great news… Or, perhaps not, hehehe, okay, change of plans! Stay tuned, because the build up will all be worth it!"

"You will pay for every life you stole today!" cried Kai. "You can count on it!"

"Blah blah, hero speak. The cameras are off now so you can take it down a peg. Hmmm, I did enjoy you though. How would you like to be the test subject in my next experiment? Talk about a once in a lifetime chance!"

"You can forget it!"

"And I respect that… or at least, I would, if I didn't have you Rangers outnumbered by… anyways, take the blue one away!"

"Leave him alone!" cried Maya.

Madman slowly turned around, pulled out a blaster, and shot Maya in her right leg.

"Okay, who gave the native permission to talk? The disrespect! Oh, and in case you Rangers get any funny ideas about following me, you might be waving bye-bye to another friend. But don't worry, when I'm done with him, he might not be your friend anymore… or even really remember you people, but he will be vastly improved, I guarantee it!"

Madman boarded his Zord with Kai in tow and lifted off the ground. For undisclosed reasons, he also swiped Karone's Transmorpher, but just hers. The Rangers were still held in place by the robots Madman left to tend to them. But more worryingly was his robots starting to blink red.

"Guys! Run!" cried Jason.

"Can't… break free!" cried Karone.

From out of the backlines, came a few loose machine parts flying overhead. Then, the Rangers were all let loose as the bots restraining them were sliced in two by the power of a red colored energy. And from behind the Rangers stood a wild-eyed Mike with Quasar Saber in hand, looking to cut down anything within ten feet of him.

The freed Rangers then forced their way past the blockade of robots while Jason built up as large an aura blast as he could muster and cleared a path while Mike continued to cut down robots that tailed them. They managed to escape Terra Venture as the blinking red lights grew quicker in pace. Then, the robots self-destructed, erupting upon the broken city and painting it with one last coat of desecration.

What once proudly stood as the capital of the New World was reduced to flames, ashes, and rubble, with only a handful of building still barely standing, barely clinging onto their metal support beams as their sides tilted further towards the ground. Jason, Kendrix, Mike, Maya, and Karone turned around to witness what Madman's onslaught had brought upon them. Tears began racing down Mike's cheeks as he tightly gripped the Quasar Saber in his hands. Not a single word could escape the lips of the gutted group of Rangers.

Kendrix turned to Jason, hoping for any kind of reaction that could steer them in the right direction. All Jason could muster was a bowed head. "We… couldn't stop him… We couldn't stop him and now a lot more people are going to die because of it."

"He caught us completely off guard," replied Karone. "There was nothing we could have done to prepare for this."

"No!" snapped Jason. "That's not good enough…! We're heroes! We're supposed to be better than this, damnit!"

Mike cleaned away his tears and tried to right his mind. "Then, let's be better… We need a plan."

"But we have time travel on our side too, right?" asked Maya. "We can get other Rangers to— Owww!" Maya hobbled towards a tree to take pressure off of her leg. She was still in great pain from the shot that she took.

"Maya, you need to get that leg looked at." said Kendrix.

"You're absolutely right!" exclaimed Jason as he turned to face the others. "This is what Chronic Storm was made for: We find the best Rangers to undertake the most dangerous of missions. What Carter once did, we'll need to do once more. We need to recruit the Rangers that can help us take down Madman, for good."

The Rangers then noticed some of the rescued civilians grouping up near them in addition to what remained of Time Force and the local villagers. Many were injured, many were still shaking, crying, huddling up against family members for comfort, and others still trying to put on a strong act for those around them. Inside each of their eyes laid a unique take on the terror, a seething memory.

Jason walked up to a distraught Ryan, noticing that two of his squad mates weren't present. "Madman still attacked the village…"

"He did… Two of my teammates were killed by his dirty hands. Damnit! And to think, we trusted him enough to build those Zords for us. And now—"

The others quickly jerked their heads towards Ryan, alerted by this new information.

Jason's rage quickly boiled over as he grabbed Ryan by the collar. "You failed to mention that you let Madman actually work for Time Force! Are you out of your damned mind!? He's a deranged criminal who took down a planet with a smile on his face, what'd you think would happen!?"

"It wasn't my call…! The higher ups felt that his intelligence would be wasted in some prison, so they recruited him to help us develop new weapons. The biggest ones being the Time Flyer Zords. We knew that Professor Knox didn't want any part of creating such destructive machines, so he wasn't even approached. But we needed them to support our Power Rangers, and we needed someone who could make them."

Ryan bowed his head and clenched his fist. "And now… the very weapons that were supposed to protect us are going to be used to destroy us."

Jason calmed himself down and released Ryan. "Not if we stop him."

"How can we?"

"I know a guy… Well, I know of a guy."

Maya and Karone looked eager to assist, but both were severely injured by the attack. On top of that, Karone was short one morpher. Mike looked the more pensive, clearly thinking through what the best move would be.

"Maya, Karone," Kendrix turned to them. "I think you could both be a great help to us, but I think Mirinoi needs you more right now."

"No," Mike added. "Madman said he's after Zords, which means he'll be after other Rangers. We need to warn all the teams on Earth, and in space. The three of us can handle that while you recruit whoever who need to."

Jason nodded. "Staying ahead of him. Good plan. Madman's gotta be heading to Earth first. If we get the warning out, he won't stand a chance. Then, when we get back, we'll finish the job."

Maya tried to walk on her injured leg, but struggled. She sighed and resigned herself to fate before hugging Kendrix. "There's no way I can move well enough out there. I'll stay here with my people and help everyone recover."

"Great idea." Kendrix turned to Karone. "We'll get your morpher back too."

" _Our_ morpher. And I know you will." replied Karone.

Jason turned back to Ryan. "Ryan, it's time to go."

"Okay, but go where exactly?"

"In my time, I learned about all things Rangers. I know the perfect Ranger to help us with this Zord problem. In fact, he built a few of them single handedly."

"Whoa… understood." Ryan pushed a button on his wrist and a white, moderately sized Time Force ship came flying unto the scene. "This ship has the same time travel capabilities that Axis' does. It took every bit of Knox' old temporal device to do it. It's no fighter, but it's our only option right now."

Jason looked up at the ship as it touched down. "It'll more than do."

Kendrix, Jason, Ryan, and what remained of his squad, boarded his ship and were met with heartfelt goodbyes from all around Mirinoi. A group of people united in both loss and in a newfound hope. Their eyes told a different story, one of perseverance. They stood alive on this day because the Power Rangers never gave up. So neither would they.


End file.
